Answering the bell with vigor after an early challenge, the North Central College football team ran through Millikin University Saturday for a 75-3 victory at Frank M. Lindsay Field. The Cardinals posted their highest score ever against the Big Blue and moved into sole possession of first place in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) standings.
No. 1-ranked North Central (6-0, 5-0 CCIW) appeared well on its way to a game-opening score after Joe Sacco broke through the Big Blue line for a 64-yard run on the second play from scrimmage. The hosts, however, stood their ground and forced a turnover on downs, keeping the Cardinals out of the end zone on their first drive of a game for the first time this season.
The guests forced a punt just three plays later and regained possession at the Millikin 30-yard line. After a 12-yard run by Sacco, DeAngelo Hardy corralled a pass from Luke Lehnen and raced to the right corner of the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown reception. Following a second Big Blue punt, Sacco brought North Central down the field with a seven-yard run and a 14-yard reception before bursting through an attempted tackle near the line of scrimmage and racing to the end zone to complete a 30-yard scoring run.
Millikin (0-6, 0-5) advanced to the Cardinals' 24-yard line on the ensuing drive before quarterback Aidan Lombardo was sacked on consecutive plays by Will Kettelkamp and Martin Egbo to push the Big Blue back near midfield. A punt gave North Central the ball at its 15, and Lehnen took center stage with a 12-yard pass to Hardy and an eight-yard scramble before throwing over the top of the Millikin coverage for a 65-yard touchdown toss to Joey Lombardi. The first period ended with the Cardinals in front, 21-0.
The Big Blue threatened again early in the second quarter after Lombardo's 51-yard completion to Don Starling, but Angelo Cusumano stepped in front of a Lombardo pass for his third interception of the season at the North Central eight-yard line. Just three plays later, Hardy was called on again, taking the ball on a crossing route up the field 72 yards for a second touchdown and a 28-0 advantage. Millikin's next possession resulted in a turnover as well. Attempting to evade the Cardinals' pass rush, Lombardo attempted to throw the ball out of bounds before Ethan Groark grabbed it out of the air and ran 30 yards to the end zone.
North Central notched a special-teams touchdown for the second straight week as Nic Rummell fielded a punt at the Cardinals' 34 and followed a wave of blockers for a 66-yard return and a 42-0 advantage. After forcing yet another punt, the Cardinals advanced quickly down the field with a 49-yard completion from Lehnen to Jacob Paradee before a two-yard scoring run by Sean Allen extended the lead to 49-0 with 4:21 still on the clock.
North Central regained possession following a sixth Big Blue punt with 3:20 on the clock and turned to Hardy once again, taking a shovel pass from Lehnen 67 yards to the end zone for a third score of the day, 12th of the season and 50th of Hardy's collegiate career. The Cardinals went into halftime up, 55-0, gaining 480 yards of offense on just 27 plays.
The visitors turned to their backups in the second half and continued to give no quarter as Will Vernon ended Millikin's first possession with an interception at the Big Blue 45. On second down-and-four at the hosts' 27-yard line, North Central quarterback Calvin Lavery rolled to his left and, seeing no receivers open, ran through the Big Blue coverage for a score to push the lead to 61-0 with 11:31 left in the third period.
The Cardinals' next scoring drive started at the Millikin 18 with 12:28 left in the game after Jacob Vincent sacked Lombardo and forced a fumble, which was recovered by Rahmareon Roby. A five-play possession culminated in Jordan Chisum's one-yard TD run with 9:30 to play. The Big Blue got on the scoreboard with a 34-yard field goal by David Ramirez with 5:22 remaining, though a 42-yard return of the following kickoff by Jack Rummell gave the visitors a short field once again. Quarterback Alex Porter capped an eight-play drive with the final touchdown of the afternoon on an 11-yard run with under a minute left.
North Central's point total was its highest in its 100-year rivalry with the Big Blue. The Cardinals gained 646 yards with remarkable balance, traveling 333 yards through the air and 313 on the ground while averaging nearly 11 yards per play. The North Central defense, meanwhile, allowed just 12 rushing yards and established new season highs for interceptions (4) and quarterback sacks (6).
Lehnen completed 10 of 14 passes for 309 yards, connecting with Hardy five times for 174, while Sacco paced the ground game with 117 rushing yards on just seven carries. Danny Nuccio was the Cardinals' leading tackler with six solo stops while Kettelkamp and Vincent each finished with two tackles for loss.
The Cardinals return to action Saturday, hosting Washington University in St. Louis at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium. The Bears are 5-1 (4-1 CCIW) following a 35-17 loss to Augustana College. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
Cardinals' Early Blitz Batters Big Blue in Decatur
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20231014_rsah.xml
2023
North Central (Ill.)
75
Millikin
3
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 North Central (Ill.) (6-0) | 21 | 34 | 6 | 14 | 75 |
| Millikin (0-6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Oct 14, 2023